A stellar line-up has been revealed for the 2026 Morecambe Poetry Festival.
Dr John Cooper Clarke, Attila the Stockbroker, Jan Brierton, Patience Agbabi, Nick Helm, Henry Normal, Salena Godden, Kate Fox, Brian Bilston, Luke Wright, Jackie Kay, Robin Ince, Rob Orton, Marcel Lucont and many more are heading to Morecambe for the town’s landmark cultural event, taking place September 18-20.
Alongside the headliners, there will be a free children’s programme led by Hot Poets, the UK’s leading climate and literacy organisation working to communicate climate change science and action through spoken word poetry, and Carnforth poet laureate and Beyond Radio presenter Bryan Griffin.
A photographic exhibition, a Burning Eye Books publisher takeover, regional poetry showcases, a Best of Morecambe showcase, open mics, poetry slams, a pre-festival symposium, poetry breakfasts, word walks and workshops all contribute to making this festival an essential destination for all poetry lovers.
Festival founder Matt Panesh (pictured above), who also co-host The Decadent Airwaves poetry show on Beyond Radio, said: “The audience has grown year on year. It's becoming known in poetry circles and we’re now in the position of poets approaching us asking to perform.
‘’All the poets on the line up are wonderful in their own right and bring different things to the festival so I’m over the moon to have them all coming together for this special anniversary weekend.
“It’s a chance for everyone to connect through a festival that has broken down barriers between the poet and punter, the established and the new, and the benefit to the town is growing each year in terms of both the cultural and economic impact, with new poetry nights springing up and audiences spending on overnight stays and hospitality. With 75 percent of our audience visiting from out of town, the festival is helping to restore Morecambe to the cultural map.”
Below: Jan Brierton
Submissions are now open for original poems for the special fifth festival anthology with an entertainers and anniversaries theme to celebrate 100 years since the birth of the town’s favourite son, Eric Morecambe. Poems should be submitted by 1 May to be considered.
A photographic exhibition featuring some wonderful candid shots taken of the festival and poets enjoying the seaside town over the last five years will be on display at the festival venues and around the town.
The free children’s festival programme will showcase the work of children who will have the chance to take part in workshops in the run up to the event, open mics, and creative events at Morecambe Town Library.
The takeover from Burning Eye Books will see a new generation of young poets coming while the Geordie and Brummie takeovers will once again shine a spotlight on different voices from around the UK.
Returning poets include the festival’s unofficial patron Henry Normal and Attila the Stockbroker (pictured below), who have both named Morecambe as their favourite poetry festival.
Brian Bilston, the Banksy of the literary world, said: "I'm delighted to be heading back to Morecambe for the festival which brings poetry to the people like no other.
‘’Three days packed with brilliant poets, inspiring workshops and poetry-related family fun. If I wasn't on the bill, I'd be getting myself a ticket anyway.
As always, the festival aims to provide opportunities for the local poetry talent, with the poetry slam winners earning themselves a coveted spot on the line up.
Local poet Rosemary Drescher (pictured below) - winner of last year’s poetry slam - said: “After the relaxed, friendly atmosphere of the Bath Hotel on pre-Festival night and the busy vibe of the King’s Arms where poets and poetry lovers from all over the country gather to enjoy and share the spoken word, the chance to read on the stage at the Winter Gardens, where so many famous names have performed over more than a century, is a prize in itself!''
‘’The Morecambe Poetry Festival, now in its fifth year, is already an eagerly anticipated cultural event attracting an international public to spend a long weekend in the town at the end of the holiday season."
The festival is made possible by support from the T S Eliot Foundation with other funding soon to be confirmed. There are still some opportunities to sponsor the festival with those interested invited to get in touch with the organisers.
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